I’m trying to run an extra long length of cat5e network cable at work. Its probably about 600 feet or so, about double the length limit for that kind of cable. I put a hub right at the midway point but I still get a a bad signal at the end of the cable where the PC will plug in. Back in school we learned about a device called a repeater, kind of like a hub but for boosting the signal. Are these devices still used? Are they very different from a hub? Would I get better results with a repeater? Thanks in advance for any help!
http://episteme.arstechnica.com/6/ubb.x?a=tpc&s=50009562&f=469092836&m=9940997042
a rather nice discussion about switches and repeaters.
Hae you tried replacing the hub?
Based on the distance and that a hub doesn’t work, a repeater won’t help. (I am assuming 100Mb Ethernet.)
The next step up is a bridge, but a switch is better. I.e., you need to segment the network into subnetworks.
I don’t believe a switch or hub will boost the signal at all. A cheap router may work for what you need however.